Publication

Islington: A local needs analysis

By 
Matt Ford
Wednesday, 26 April 2017

Islington: A local needs analysis provides a helicopter view of the kinds of problems facing people in the London borough of Islington and will inform our community engagement work to create a positive vision for the former Holloway prison site. 

This report is published as part of Justice Matters: A Community Plan for Holloway, a project of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, funded by Trust for London.

HMP Holloway was the only women’s prison in London and sits on a large area of public land in Islington, the most densely populated area in the country with some of the highest housing costs. 

The redevelopment of the site provides an important opportunity to tackle some of the social problems identified in this report in a local context.

The report reveals high levels of deprivation and need in the borough.

The report's author, Matt Ford, said:

''Despite its reputation as a wealthy borough, Islington has shocking levels of poverty and deprivation. It is the 24th most deprived local authority in England and has the 4th highest rate of child poverty in the UK.

''Given what this report reveals about the problems facing people in Islington, it is clear that the redevelopment of the Holloway site could offer a fantastic opportunity to meet needs and benefit the local community.

Notable findings include:

  • It is the 24th most deprived of England’s 326 local authorities
  • 38% of children are in poverty, the fourth highest rate in the UK
  • 20,733 households are on the waiting list for social housing
  • 881 households were in temporary accommodation on 30th September 2016, including 1,124 children
  • 442 households were owed a homelessness duty by the council last year
  • 29,900 adults are estimated to have depression, anxiety or both
  • 31,000 people identify as having an impairment or disability 
  • There were an estimated 7,119 incidents of domestic violence in 2015